The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1887-08-03

DID II ever occur 10 the Democrats
whose stereotype reply to the Republican
demand for fair play, for free vote
and an honest count is, " oh you are
waving the bloody shirt" that il is their
own leaders who are keeping up the sec
tional divisions Of the late war; and that
too for their own selfish purposes? 4
solid South can be kept solid for party
purposes, only through sectional animosi-
ties. and so long as these sectional ami
mosities are kept alive, the Northern
Democrats reap the profits. BY reason Of
this cunning devise of the Northern Dem
ocratic leaders: this continued howl Of
bloody shirt on all occasions, the singu-
lar anomaly is presented of party hav-
ing a vast preponderence of its electoral
vote in the South, invariably presenting
a Northern man as its candidate for
President. The Southern States gave ll9
electoral votes to Tilden, l3S TO Hancock,
and l53 to Cleveland, while from the en-
tire North. this first Democratic President
since the war, received only 40 electoral
votes. Why should not the Democrats of
the South, furnishing as they do, more
than three fourths of the votes have a
place on the Presidential ticket? Clearly,
because they are afraid Of the sectional
animosities which their fellows in the
North cultivate and keep alive for their
own selfish purposes, or because their
Northern leaders know that there has
been no change of sentiment, no abate-
ment of secession proc!ivities among the
Southern brethren, and are afraid to trust
them with absolute control Of the govern
ment Or is il, as il used to be in dgts-
bcll1ga days, the South can best accomplish
its ends through " Northern men with
Southern principles" The deliver after
satisfactory answers TO political problems
will find hard nut to crack when be
tackles the question, why does an over
whelming Democratic majority in the
South always turn to petty Northern
minority when in search Of Presiden-
tial candidate Or why, if Southern Dem
ocrats are as loyal, as their Northern
brethren claim them to be, and have put
aside the animosities of the war, do they
persistently refuse recognition TO South
ern men who cast in their lot with the
Union side during the rebellion, and bit
terly ostacise those of the South who
dare declare that secession and nulliiica-
ton were wrong, or avow their hostility
to race distinction in the granting or de-
nial Of political rights There is wide
field for speculation in this anomalous
state of Affairs, and the careful student of
current history viii encounter many. ap-
parently ireconcilable propositions
Why should majority always seek fora
Presidential candidate in the minority
wing of its party? Why should people
claimed to be eminenty loyal now, ostra-
else theirfellow citizens who were loval pes.
seer Why should not a native Southerner
be nominated as the Democratic candidate
for President. when three-fourths Of the
party vote is Southern, and 10 the manner
born Why should adherence by Repub-
licans, to the principles for which the
North endured the scourge Of war. be OBJ
noXious, to waving the bloody shirt, in
the eyes of those who stou;ly maintain
that they were right, and persistentlv
prove their faith by their works? These
be questions worthy ofstudy and are por-
tentous in their solution. We drop the
subject with the remark that il is strange,
passing strange that in the entire range of
the Southern States where the great bulk
of the Democrctie vote is eentered. not an
eminent member of that party can be
found, possessed of a record of past and
present loyalty TO the National govern
ment whom the leaders of the party will
put forth and support as their candidate
for President His loyalty to the Union
in the hour of It's danger would surely be
no objection TO Democrats of the North.
and II must be in that section of the
country where three fourths of the Dem
ocratic vote is polled, that hostility 10
such nominee exists.